How I did it: To be fair, I know I did this-- and did it the same way-- when I was a kid:  I went to the planetarium in town, lucked out and had a clear night, and went up to the observatory after the program.  I was a LOT more excited when I was a sci-fi obsessed kid, and perhaps more let-down by what even a research-sized analogue telescope can reveal (it was sort of like the first time I used the internet: I wanted to see the Rover footage of Mars, and wasn't prepared to see a drab wasteland).  It looked like a slide with a cartoon picture of Saturn was slipped into place, and the big fancy observatory was just the curtain that the wizard of Oz hid behind!

Lessons & tips: I still think astronomy is REALLY REALLY cool, but my expectations are more appropriate than they were when I first got into it.  It might be more fun to do field astronomy with a little telescope and a star map.

Resources: check out local universities and planetariums-- sometimes there are even amateur astronomy clubs that go out stargazing together (it's always more fun learning from an elder!)

---

Jul 16, 2011, 07:53PM PDT | 0 comments | 1 cheer